The Florala Wildcats began the 2003 high school football season with a win Friday in a preseason game against the J.U. Blacksher Bulldogs.

The Cats won 35-20, but could have won by more if not for turnovers.

The Wildcats fell behind 6-0 early in the game, but did not give up.

Florala battled back to tie the score at 6-6 when senior wide receiver A.J. Thompson snared a pass from sophomore quarterback Robby Evans and raced about 50 yards into the end zone.

J.U. Blacksher went back on top with another touchdown for a 14-6 lead at the halftime intermission.

Florala Head Coach Doug Vickery said the Wildcats had an opportunity to score before the half but mistakes proved costly.

"We dropped a lot of passes and it cost us a score," Vickery pointed out during an interview Monday.

Vickery must have said the right things during the intermission because the Wildcats came out ready to play in the second half.

Junior running back Victor Hobdy was very fired up, especially after the first play of the second half.

Hobdy took a handoff and raced about 60 yards for a touchdown. Vance Gettis added a two-point conversion with a bruising run and the score was knotted at 14-14.

Ro Williams gave Florala the lead a little later when he grabbed a pass from Evans and went 36 yards for a touchdown. Johnathon Carnley added a two-point conversion on a pass from Evans for a 22-14 lead.

The Wildcats bared their claws on offense again when Evans called his own number and scored on about a 40-yard run. The score gave the Wildcats a 28-14 edge.

Evans scored a second rushing touchdown later in the game for a 35-14 lead after the PAT.

The Bulldogs tacked on a late touchdown, but it was not enough as the Wildcats coasted home a 35-20 winner.

Evans had a big game completing 8 of 15 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. He was picked off twice. Evans also rushed for 101 yards and two scores on 10 carries.

Hobdy carried the ball nine times for 131 yards and one touchdown in the preseason win.

Zach Bradley paced the defense. He was in on 16 tackles and had a sack. Mitchell Odom was in on 10 tackles. Carnley had eight tackles and two sacks in the game. Gettis added nine stops for the Wildcat defense.

Vickery said he hopes the win will serve as a confidence booster as the Wildcats prepare for a tough opponent in the Red Level Tigers.

The Wildcats travel to Red Level for a 7 p.m. game on Friday. The game is the season opener for both teams.